Algeria’s Ongoing Popular Uprising Friday, May 31, 2002 Anger among Algeria’s Berbers By Stephen Mayoux BBC correspondent TIZI-OUZOU, Algeria— Violence has marred the Algerian parliamentary elections in the Berber-speaking region of Kabylia, about 62 miles east of the capital Algiers. Local youth in the region’s main town of Tizi-Ouzou spent Thursday rioting in front of polling stations, throwing stones at security officials and burning tires. Children as young as 10 been taking part in the unrest. Anti-riot units and plain-clothes policemen threw some stones back and fired tear-gas at the demonstrators. The clashes erupted on Thursday morning when election officials tried to open polling stations. State of siege For the past year protesters in the region had been in open conflict with the authorities, after a young student died while in custody of the security forces. Political leaders in Kabylia have called for a boycott of the poll, a call that has been relayed in other parts of the country, especially in Algiers. A riot police officer stands by a burning car during clashes in the Berber capital of Tizi-Ouzou, 62 miles The authorities have accused east of Algiers, Algeria. Sunday April 29, 2001. demonstrators in Kabylia of using violence and intimidation to prevent A local resident on the estate potential voters from casting their accused Algeria’s government of Fighting ‘for democracy’ Further clashes ballots. making money out of the country’s oil A young protester I met in the city’s Villages outside Tizi-Ouzou have At a polling station set up in a wealth while killing youngsters in the main square insisted that their revolt also been cut off from the rest of the primary school in the middle of one of region. should now spread to the rest of the region, and tree trunks and stones have Tizi-Ouzou’s many council estates, the “Our oil is mixed with our blood,” country. been place across the roads. police were trying to drive he said, accusing the international “Algeria’s problems come from the In one instance, demonstrators even demonstrators away using tear-gas. community of ignoring the plight of country’s generals,” he said. dug a trench across the road to prevent The school was in a state of siege, the Algerian people. “If people riot in the south, west and police vehicles from reaching their surrounded by angry protesters who Local activists say that 117 people center of the country, they will have to village. kept pelting stones on the building. have been killed by the security forces go.” Clashes also erupted in several Elections officials had deserted the in Kabylia since the beginning of the Most protesters insist that they are other towns of the region. station and no one was there to cast trouble last year. Algerians before being Kabyles. Violence has been rocking the their ballot. Officials speak of only 80 dead. But the authorities have been trying region for more than a year now. The air was full of thick black Thousands have been injured. to portray the current turmoil as a smoke, mixed with the fumes of the Apart from the flashpoints around purely Kabyle issue. tear-gas canisters. polling stations, Tizi-Ouzou has been Demonstrators insist that they are largely deserted. fighting for democracy, for justice and Government accused Its residents locked themselves up for jobs, not only for the recognition of Some protesters accused the police following a call for a four-day general their culture and their Berber language, of trying to bus strangers into Kabylia strike. Tamazight. to make them vote. firestarter The young rioters fought police and PublishedDistributed & (2004) by firestarter press gendarmerie forces during several weeks PO Box 50217 shouting: “You cannot kill us we are Baltimore, MD 21211 already dead!” Treated as half dead by USA the Algerian society, they knew that they had to destroy it to start living. 2 [email protected] Many thanks to Clare Sullivan -Jaime Semprun, “Apology for the Algerian Insurrection” for her numerous translations. Contents Abbreviations & Key Terms 4 15 International Solidarity Introductory Notes 5 16 Berbers Bring Algeria to Brink of by firestarter press Insurrection by Robert Fisk Algeria before the Black Spring: A Timeline 6 18 Ulach Smah We are all Massinissa Guermah 7 by Hassan Berber by Latifa Benmansour 20 Dialogue Between Dream and Memory Insurrection in Algeria 8 from Quale Guerra? by Wolfi 22 The Grand Camouflage Summary of the Meeting at Illoula Oumalou by Some French Friends of the ‘Aarsh 12 El-Kseur Platform 13 24 Algerian Insurrection by Heba Saleh The Algerian Uprising is Also Ours. 14 by Some [Italian] Friends of the ‘Aarsh 29 Code of Honor 30 Chronology of the Algerian Insurrection 46 Maps After running the gendarmerie out of their town, local youths 3 in Tizi-Ouzou playfully occupy the remains of the station. CADC: (Coordination of ‘Aarsh, Daïras and Communes) A stability. With the same logic, one of the GIA strategies is horizontal organization with a revolving presidency, which to murder civilians at false army checkpoints. Most of the includes about 50 delegations, brought together on the news to make it out of Algeria usually involves GIA scope of parish, town, and tribe. The CADC has opposed offensives. any dialogue with le pouvoir. MAK: (Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylia) Unpopular, but CIADC: (Inter-Wilaya Coordination of ‘Aarsh, Daïras and media-friendly, nationalist autonomists hell-bent on Communes) The umbrella coordination of all the ‘arsh keeping the movement regionalist (within the confines of delegates and citizen coordination committees of the Kabylia). Sadek Akrour, a CPWB leader in Bgayet, said: “We towns will not construct a house inside another house. Ferhat CICB: (Inter-Communal Coordination Mehenni [head of the MAK] is speaking of Bgayet) Formed on July 19, for himself alone. We have always 2001, on the basis that “there underlined, in our meetings, the should not be any associations, Abbreviations national character of our movement… corporations, or trade unions in We are neither a movement for the movement. There should be a popular structure: you independence nor a movement for autonomy. We are a come into it as a citizen, not as a doctor, trade unionist, national popular movement.” By allowing intense and etc.” (International Crisis Group interview) (see also CPWB) frequent press coverage the MAK and their platform, the CNS: (Body for National Security) The country’s riot police regime has shown that it knows how to use the MAK to its CPWB: (Popular Committee of the Wilaya of Bgayet) At a CPWB advantage to limit the spread of the ‘arsh movement. meeting on July 19, 2001, a number of communal RCD: (Rally for Culture and Democracy) Early on, this Berberist coordinations from the Soummam valley and the other rural authoritarian party, along with articulating the identity and districts seceded and established a new body, the CICB. At language issues, became the champion of a secularist vision issue was the principle of representation within the of the state, not only opposing the Islamist movement but movement. (see also CICB) going much further in calling for a constitutional change to DRS: (Department of Intelligence and Security) The military abolish Islam’s status as the official religion. They intelligence service presented the insurrection in Kabylia as a “cultural” FFS: (Socialist Forces Front) An authoritarian socialist party, it insurrection. is one of two of Kabylia-based political parties (the other UGTA: (General Union of Algerian Workers) This official union is being the RCD). While more conciliatory towards the integrated into the regime. Islamists than the RCD, they consistently target the ‘police- URS: (Republican Security Units) These are counterterrorism/ state’ aspect of the regime and the political role of the special operations units of the National Security General army. Directorate sent to enforce public order and protect FIS: (Islamic Salvation Front) An Islamic populist party, it was ‘sensitive’ sites (i.e.— gendarmerie barracks and polling the main opposition to the corrupted FLN. They won local stations). elections and legislative elections in December 1991, the UNJA: (National Union of Algerian Youth) A vassal of President generals refused the democratic results and organized a Bouteflika coup. FIS leaders and activists were arrested, many tortured for months, some killed, the villages and cities Amazigh: (plural ‘Imazighen’) Term used for Berber, meaning “free who voted for FIS were victim of state terror: police and man” security forces arrested, killed, and tortured. Many ‘Arsh: (plural ‘aarsh)(pronounced ‘aroush’) The various clans or tortured people who survived joined the Islamist terrorist extended families, an ancient and traditional network of guerrilla to protect themselves from the army and/or to assemblies and committees in Kabylia. For a decent get revenge. exploration of the origins of the ‘arsh, see the ICG report: http://www.crisisweb.org//library/documents/report_archive FLN: (National Liberation Front) The main (nationalist) Algerian /A400996_10062003.pdf party, which is supposedly democratic, is in fact the party Berber: (a Greek term meaning “foreigner”) People who inhabit the of the highly-corrupt ruling class. The role of the FLN is to North African region stretching from the Canary Islands to the control, at any price, the vital resources of the country Siwa Oasis in Egypt, made up of Kabyles, Chaouis, M’zabites, (mainly oil) for its interests and for the interests of oil and Tuaregs, and countless other groups. Berbers make up nearly gas industry. Historically, the FLN manipulated the memory 1/3 of Algeria’s 30 million people. of the struggle against French occupation. Leaders were Daïra: Administrative district made up of several communes nationalists with Stalinist influences.